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Jars, Jars & More Jars

8/10/2017

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Mason jars have been all the rage on Pinterest and are must have for any bride’s rustic country wedding decor for a while now. Long before Pinterest was invented, I had been decorating with Mason jars. When my Grandma had to move out of her house and into assisted living, she had shelves and shelves full of clean, glistening canning jars of every size in her basement. The auctioneer that we had hired to do her auction told us that they weren’t worth anything and to keep them or get rid of them. No one else wanted them so I packed them up and took them home-three storage tubs full. I was a poor, non-traditional college student at the time and was living with my Dad. He just shook his head when I brought them inside and carried them upstairs to the storage room.

A couple years later, I had moved out and gotten an apartment and I was on a mission to decorate. One of my friends at school had a booth at an antique mall and her Dad made beautiful shelves out of barn boards, old wood, square nails and old hardware parts. I found a shelf in a magazine that I wanted but could never afford and I asked him if he could make me one. He said that he could. I hung the shelf in my horribly dated apartment kitchen- yellow linoleum flooring, yellow Formica counter tops and matching avocado green appliances. Not exactly the look I was going for with my country chic décor, but it was all that I had to work with at the time.
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I went over to my Dad’s and carried those three storage totes of Mason jars downstairs and into my car. A family friend of ours, lives in a beautiful old house. Her house is so beautiful it is like walking into an issue of Country Living magazine. She has a beautiful old country store counter with glass front drawers as her kitchen island. Inside each drawer front is filled with items that would have been for sale in an old general store. I loved it and this was my inspiration for my Mason jar display, now it was time to find stuff to fill my Mason jars. I made a list and when it was time to go grocery shopping, I headed to the local Wal-Mart. I found the dried bean section and marveled at all the different kinds of beans-perfect for my Mason jars! But as I looked at the prices and quickly learned that I would need 3-4 bags of beans to fill just one of my Grandma’s Mason jars, it just wasn’t in my meager college student budget. So, it was back to the drawing board.

My oldest brother is a dairy farmer and each fall after he picked corn, we would go in the corn field behind my Dad’s house and pick up the ears of corn that had fallen to the ground. I knew my Dad always kept a bag of corn in his garage to feed the squires each winter. I knew if I asked, he would let me have a few ears of corn for my Mason jars. I asked my Dad if I could have a couple. He said I could and when I told him what I was going to do them, I foolishly thought that he would offer to shell them for me. Besides he was retired and had nothing better to do than help his daughter to decorate, right? Wrong, he handed them to me and walked away. One night while I watched television, I sat down on the floor and shelled corn into my Mason jar. One jar filled!

One day when I was at my brother’s farm there was a delivery truck delivering some cotton seed. I don’t think I had ever seen cotton seed before and I asked him what he used that for. He told me that he feed it to his cows as part of their ration. A few days later, it struck me. Cotton seed in a Mason jar would look really cool and very unique! My friend didn’t have cotton seed in her general store counter. I asked my Dad if I could have some and he said, “What for?”

“My Mason jars,” I told him.

“Well, you would have to ask your brother. You know, he has to pay for that right?” He said.

A couple days later I found the perfect Mason fruit jar and headed to my brother’s farm. I asked him if I could have some cotton seed. He was even more perplexed then my Dad as to why I would want some cotton seed. When I explained to him what I was doing, he just shook his head and said, “take what you want.”
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I filled a couple more Mason jars with some of my Grandma’s old buttons and some cheap coffee beans that I found at the dollar store. My friend with the beautiful general store counter dried some orange slices for me and my Mason jars were complete. I have moved several times since that dated yellow and avocado green apartment kitchen but my Mason jars are still on display on that barn board shelf. 
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A couple of months ago, we got a phone call from a gentleman that had a Mason jar collection that he was interested is selling at one of our auctions. He explained that he had hundreds of them in all shapes, sizes and colors. I was instantly excited. A couple of weeks later, we got a phone call that they were all packed up and were on their way to drop off the jar collection. There were boxes and boxes and boxes of Mason jars. I will never forget when I first walked into the auction building to see tables and tables of beautiful old Mason jars, some which I had only seen in books. 
When I came time to set up for the auction, Matt asked if I would help because I knew more about Mason jars then he did. I thought to myself, “I don’t really know that much about Mason jars.”

The day came to set up the auction and a couple of guys that help us just stood there and shook their heads. One asked me, “Have you ever seen so many Mason jars?” We started sorting like jars together- Mason, Mason Perfect, Ball Mason, Kerr, Atlas, Stanford, Drey, etc. A couple I was scared to touch because I had only seen them in antique reference books. Before we knew it, we had a trailer full of jars. As we sorted we joked about dreaming about Mason jars. I didn’t dream about Mason jars that night but I did learn what a pickle pusher is that day.

I still have three totes of Mason jars from my Grandma’s house in my attic. Today those Mason jars are merely decorative, but they remind me of my Grandma and all the hardworking women in my family that canned, froze and worked hard for everything they had in life. I wonder what they would think about the Mason jar decorating craze???
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Here are a few of my favorite jars from our July 29th Auction. 

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Lucky Number #7

6/9/2017

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Lucky Number #7

A couple of weeks ago, we received a call not unlike many calls we receive at the auction center. A son was calling for his Mom. She had recently had some health problems and was looking to down size a little and make some money to help with expenses once she returned home. He went on to explain that they had started cleaning out his childhood home and had found some crocks in the basement. We set up a time for him to deliver the crocks and we told him that we would get them on an auction as soon as we could as his Mom would soon be returning home.

A few days later, my husband and Harry Lahr Auctions Auctioneer, Matt came home from work. As we chatted about our day, mine at home with the kids and his at the auction center setting up the next auction he mentioned that phone call. He said, “I think this one crock is something special,” and he showed me a picture of a 4 gal. Western Stoneware beehive jug with a unique marking of a leaf with Plant 7 on it. He proceeded to share with me that in 1906 Western Stoneware Company purchased seven potteries- five in Illinois, one in Missouri and one in Iowa.  Fort Dodge Stoneware of Fort Dodge, Iowa was founded in 1859 became Western Stoneware plant number seven (7) with that purchase.  For a short time, they made crocks with a special mark and this jug was one of them. He asked me to put it on our website, Facebook page and to share it on a couple stoneware collector sites that we belong too.

Later that night, I uploaded the photos and put them on the internet. Sometimes I am still amazed at the power of the internet because literally within minutes, we started receiving phone calls and messages with possible bidders expressing interest in the jug. Over the next couple of days, we had made arrangements for absentee bids, phone bids and have recommended hotels for people making the drive to Earlville in hopes of purchasing the jug.

The day of the auction came and due to the interest in the Plant #7 jug we decided to set a time to sell it. When it was time for the jug to be sold we had three bidders on the phone, a stack of absentee bids and a crowd with their bidding numbers ready. The bidding started and quickly the price jumped higher than we expected. From my place at the cashier’s counter, I could tell that one phone bidder was out and just wanted to hear the final price. But in the front row sat a bidder holding up her number and she didn’t put it down. When the hammer came down she was the high bidder at $760.00.

A little while later, she walked over, told me her bidder number and gently sat the Plant #7 jug down on the counter. I pulled her ticket and realized that that was the only item she had purchased at the auction. We started chatting and I told her the story behind the jug and that the family was going to be very surprised and happy at the final price. She told me that she couldn’t wait to get home to get it cleaned up and was very happy that she was able to help the family bring their Mom home.

People have auctions for lots of reasons, but you just never know when that one special item you purchase over the phone or in person is helping someone stay in their home longer, send their kids to college, or move to another chapter of their life. Plant #7 was destroyed by fire in 1906, not long after it was purchased by Western Stoneware Company, but I wonder what the potter that turned and stamped that jug 111 years ago would have thought….How the jug that they made so long ago would be found in the basement by a family helping their Mom would make its way to our auction house in Earlville, IA and then on to a new home with one very happy bidder. To some the number 7 is lucky and to this family that Plant #7 jug certainly was.
 
Sources: Western Stoneware Company
University of Illinois Extension
 
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That one special item…..

5/5/2017

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Every once in a while, at an auction we get that one special item…..that one special item that becomes the talk of the sale. Last week, at our excellent antiques and collectibles auction that was lot #229- the Diamond Dyes tin lithography sign titled “A Busy Day in Dollville”. The sign depicts a little girl in a blue dress dying her doll’s clothes while her dollies look on.

When we started setting up for the auction it was like every other item, we unpacked it, cataloged it, took a picture and assigned a lot number. Then when the absentee bids started coming in and two veteran antique dealers told us that they had never seen one before, we started to realize we had something pretty special.

Then late one night, I received a message through Facebook from a man named Keith. He wrote that he was interested in bidding on the sign and was wondering if we did absentee bidding. I replied to his message and told him that my husband and Harry Lahr Auctions auctioneer, Matt, would be contacting him the next morning. After the usual questions about condition and terms of sale, Keith placed his bid. The next morning, Keith contacted us again and said that he was very interested in the sign and that he wanted to increase his maximum bid to ensure that he would be the top bidder.

Last Saturday, it was the day of the auction. I circled lot number 229 on my auction listing to remind myself to watch the sign sell. A couple hours later it was time. I stopped what I was working on and turned my attention to the auction block. Matt announced the item and that the opening bid was $1,000. I hear a collective exhale from the crowd in surprise. The bidding began and after some back and forth the bidding ended with a final bid of $1,600. I knew that Keith was the high bidder. One of our ring men brought the sign back to me and I put it on the shelf in the office to keep it safe. As people came up to the counter to check out, a few of them commented on the sign and asked where it was going.

After the auction, it was time to call the absentee bidders and let them know what they bought. Matt said, “I want you to call Keith and tell him that he got the sign.” We located Keith's information and I dialed his phone number. After a couple of rings Keith answered the phone-

Me: “Hi Keith?”

Keith: “Yes.”

Me: “This is Lisa from Harry Lahr Auctions.”

Keith: “Yes.”

I could almost hear him holding his breath over the phone.

Me: “I am calling to let you know that you were the high bidder today on the Diamond Dyes tin litho sign.”

And there was silence on the other end of the phone….

Keith: “O’ Lisa, if I was there right now I would hug you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you so much!”

I could hear the emotion in his voice. He proceeded to tell me that he was working today on a big order for a customer, otherwise he would have loved to attend our auction in person. He told me that he has been happily married for over thirty years and together him and his wife, Nancy, loved to collect general store items and that he planned to give the sign to her as a birthday present. We chatted for a few more minutes and made arrangements to ship the sign to him.

Keith and Nancy- I wish you many more years of happiness together. I wish you many wonderful days shopping for more general store items together that are just as special as the Diamond Dyes A Busy Day in Dollville sign. I wish you many more anniversaries together.

Nancy- I wish you a wonderful birthday and many, many more to come.

I thank you both for the memory of telling Keith about the Diamond Dyes sign, it is a moment that I hope I never forget.

That one special item….

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What a Crock!

3/5/2017

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Red Wing Collectors Society MidWinter Show
 
Valentine’s Day in our house growing up was always a very big deal because it was the day my parents eloped and got married at the courthouse. So as an adult, I have always tried to make Valentine’s Day special in our house too. Last week I received my usual delivery of red roses at work. I came home and gave my husband Matt and the kids their presents too. I wasn’t expecting anything else and then Matt handed me a copy of The Collector’s Journal and said, “there is a clue to the rest of your Valentine’s Day present inside.” I looked through the pages and very quickly was perplexed. I thought to myself, “Did he buy me something at an auction?” After a couple of minutes I asked, “Do I need to read one of the articles?” He said, “Turn to the last page.” On the last page was an article about the Red Wing Collector’s MidWinter show that was going to be held in Des Moines. He said, “We are going to go check it out.” MidWinter was always one of those things you hear about in the auction world. But I had never gone. I had always heard it’s a place that you will see things that you have never seen and things that you will never be able to afford. Needless to say, I was excited.

Last summer, one of our auctions customers introduced me to the Red Wing Collector’s Society- Facebook Chapter. I belong to a lot of groups on Facebook. Some of which I have unfollowed after a few hours due to the negativity. But the Red Wing group is the complete opposite. Everyone is very nice, helpful and everyone has a lot of fun sharing photos of their collections. Over the past couples of months, I have learned a lot about Red Wing Stoneware and gotten a glimpse at some amazing stoneware collections. I was excited to attend Midwinter to get to meet some members in person. 

So, we packed up the car and headed west to Des Moines. We arrived at the hotel where the show is held and met up with a friend who quickly showed us around. Our first stop was the 5th floor to see the life time collection of a collector, who due to life circumstances was selling his collection. There wasn’t much left, but I quickly saw something that I had never seen before and never afford. But it was great to meet him, see just a few items from his collection, learn more about Red Wing Stoneware and how it was made.

We then headed down to the first floor and checked out what Scott Spompinato of Spompinato & Co. had for sale. I quickly fell in love with a with a 5 gallon salt glazed crock. Just look at that dark, beautiful, cobalt leaf!!!! But I decided that it just wasn’t in my budget. I love to ask dealers what their favorite piece is in their booth and today for Scott that was a small advertising butter crock from Bremen, Kansas.

A short walk across the hall was Oakwood Farm, LLC owned by Tim & Roxie Lockard of Russell, Iowa. They had two of my favorite things- signs and children’s blocks. They had thee absolute cutest Kraft calf sign, that I wanted to bring home soooooo bad! (I have a slight obsession with cows. But that is another blog.)

After seeing a few familiar faces in the hallway, we ran into the talk of the show. All 30 salty gallons of her! She was gorgeous!!! She was attracting a crowd right there in the hallway! Just inside the next room was her new proud owner Bill Prock of Prock’s Crocks & Antiques. It has been great to get to know Bill on Facebook over the past couple of months and to see the wonderful crocks in his collection. His booth at Midwinter was just as wonderful. Just look at those advertising rolling pins!!!! And I even got a pen!!!!!

Down the hall we came upon Clifford & Alison Olson, who had the rarest of rare, one of a kind Redwing cups. Each was unique, very rare, and highly collectible. They also had a super rare salt glazed (kinda) 6 gallon. Did I mention that these people know how to have a good time???

We wondered through the hotel checking out rooms as we went and meeting new people along the way. We came upon Larry’s Jugs & Antiques, where I quickly made a new friend- Bud. Bud was great and he even posed for a picture with me!
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Unfortunately, Mother Nature wasn’t having a good day and with the roads home quickly being covered with snow, we decided to head home. With a quick stop for some BBQ and a very fast run through the streets of the Brass Armadillo Antique Mall we headed back to Delaware County. I would highly recommend that anyone that has even a slight interest in stoneware to attend Midwinter when it comes around again. You will see things that you have never seen before and things that you will never be able to afford.
Happy Antiquing Everyone!!!! 

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“Oh Auctions! They scare me…”

1/15/2017

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First of all, let me say that I am sorry that I have been MIA from the blogging world for a while. In early December, we finished up our new Auction Center and held our first auction at our new location on December 3rd. Then I planned to write a blog about Christmas, but Christmas came and went, then I was going to write about New Year’s and once again…. Anyway, it’s the middle of January and we have an impending ice storm. Wonderful Iowa winters, gotta love ‘em.  So here is a post about the reaction I get when I tell people I’m married to an auctioneer. Enjoy!

“Oh Auctions! They scare me…”

That is usually one of the reactions that I get from people when I tell them I am married to an auctioneer. Which I completely, totally understand. Auctions can be intimidating. As a child growing up in the 1980’s, my Dad owned a milk hauling business and unfortunately during the farm crisis of the 80’s I spent many Saturdays at farm sales. At the time, I had absolutely no idea what it meant to my Dad, his business, his patrons or to the community I grew up in. As a young kid, auctions were fun. My older brothers and I would get bundled up, would load up in my Dad’s old, yellow Chevy pick-up and would head down a gravel road to a farm sale. I got to run around outside and my Dad would give us quarters to buy homemade baked goods and a glass of pop from the lunch stand.

When I was a little bit older, an elderly woman passed away that lived a few blocks from my house and they had an estate sale. She was always a little bit of a mystery and I remember people in the neighborhood being excited to finally see what she had inside. I remember it was a cold, windy day and I stood by my Mom alongside the hay racks as a ring man, held a wooden cane and called bids from the crowd. After the hay racks were done, they started carrying furniture out of the house and setting it on the lawn- beautiful dressers, cedar chests and what I would later come to love- PRIMITIVES! My Mom bought an old, tattered fainting couch. My Dad wasn’t very happy about that purchase at the time. But she later refinished it and got it upholstered in beautiful fabric. I begged my Mom all day to buy me something and I was so excited when she bought me an old wooden shipping crate for 50 cents! Score! I had my Dad set it next to my sandbox made from an old tractor tire in the yard and would spend hours making mud pies and sand soup the rest of the summer.

As an adult, I had moved back home to go to college and the old hardware store in my home town had closed. A couple bought it and opened an auction house. I remember walking by, peering inside at all the beautiful antiques, but I never went inside to an auction. I later befriended the shopkeeper at the local antique store and occasionally they would let me tag along to an auction when they would buy merchandise for their store. But I never bid on anything. If I wanted something, I would have one of them bid for me. After a while, I got a hang of auctions and got to know the rhythm of the different auctioneers. Eventually, I finally registered for my own number and even bid on some items. I was addicted!

A couple years later, I had graduated from college, the auction house had changed hands and that shopkeeper had been hired to manage the auction house for the new owner. I can still remember the day she called me, with panic in her voice and asked if I wanted to work there. As a poor, working girl with a mortgage, student loans and a car payment, I was eager to make some extra money. It would be at this same auction house a couple years later that I would meet Matt and the rest is history.

So, for those of you that have never been to an auction, my advice is look at our website. Look at the Auction Calendar and the Auction listings, and find a sale that peaks your interest. We usually have a preview the night before an auction, that allows people to take their time and look over what will be for sale the next day. The day of the auction, everyone must register with the cashier to get a bidding number. It is usually me standing behind the counter, so if you have questions, just ask. Grab a seat and when the ring man hold up an item you’re interested in, just hold up your bidding number. One of the most common concerns an auction newbie has is usually one of two things- that the auctioneer will think they are bidding when you are not and that you will pay way more money for an item than you want too. If you bid with your number there won’t be any confusion, just hold your number in the air and the auctioneer will catch your bid. If the bidding goes higher than you want to pay, just put your number down and the auctioneer will know that you are no longer interested.

As for paying more for an item that you want, it can happen, but it isn’t as bad as they dramatize on TV or in the movies. At our auctions, we usually sell in increments of $1.00, $2.50, $5.00 or $10.00. For larger items, we may sell in increments of $25.00, $50.00 or $100.00, but it’s not very often. So, if you do pay more for an item, it will probably be only a few dollars- $2.00 instead of $1.00, $5.00 instead of $2.50, etc. Matt will say after he says sold, which closes the bidding, what the final price was and the number of the winning bidder. Congratulations, you are the new owner of a fabulous new item!

Remember to keep track of your item(s) and feel free to take them to your car during the auction. When you are ready to leave, just come up to the cashier counter and tell me what your bidding number is. I will add up your tickets and give you your total. We accept cash, good check or credit cards (VISA, Discover, Master Card or American Express) for a 3% convenience fee. But be warned, auctions are addictive and you can get hooked at the very first one. But I can guarantee, that you will always see something that you have never seen before, meet someone that you have never met before, and the food at the lunch stand will always be homemade. Happy Bidding!!!
 
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So much to be Thankful for….

11/24/2016

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It’s Thanksgiving which in my family means food, family, football (Go Cowboys!!!), and more food. Today, I found myself thinking back over the past year and what I am personally thankful for. Of course, there is my family, my wonderful husband, my super awesome kids, my friends, a beautiful home and a million little things that mean so much to me, like coffee and chocolate.  But today, one thing stood out as I thought back over the past year- auctions. When Matt and I met five years ago, at an auction house in my hometown, like many couples falling in love, we made plans and had lots of hopes and dreams for the future. That plan for us was- get married, hopefully have a couple of kids, and by the time our kids were in school one of us could, hopefully, quit our day job and do auctions full time. I should know by now that when I make plans, they usually don’t go as I planned. And that’s because GOD had a better plan all along.

In a few weeks, Matt and I will celebrate our fourth wedding anniversary and on the same day we will hold our first auction in our new Auction Center. To some people, it may be just a building, but to us it’s a dream come true. We are truly so thankful that we have the opportunity to make a living doing something we love. We have met so many wonderful people and have become lifelong friends with many of them. We love to hear the stories that go along with the items that people buy and sell. We still get excited when we get to look inside a house at the things a family wants to sell. Unpacking day, is like Christmas day as a kid all over again, but for us it happens before every auction. Today, I am thankful for many, many things but most of all I am thankful for those four walls at 116 E. 4th Street in Earlville, Iowa and everything that those four walls stand for- family, friends, and hopefully many, many more auctions to come.
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Here are just a few photos of those four walls being built and I will post some more on my Auction Mom Facebook page as well. See you on December 3rd at 116 E. 4th Street inside those four walls. 
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Auction Mom

10/23/2016

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Hi everybody! My name is Lisa Lahr and welcome to my blog Auction Mom! My husband Matt and I own an auction house in beautiful northeast Iowa in a small town called Earlville, IA. We have two super cute kids Mahala, age 2 1/2 and Caleb, almost 7 months. I have always liked to write and have dreamed of writing a book as long as I can remember (more on that later), but I figured with two small kids and a business to run, I would start with a blog. My hope is that I can give you a behind the scenes look of the auction world, share a little bit about our lives and just write about some stuff that I have wanted to for awhile. I plan to keep it real and my hope is this will be a positive place to share my love for my family, auctions, antiques, old houses, and the really cool people that I have met along the way and explore some new things too. Welcome and hang on cause we have some very BIG things planned for Harry Lahr Auctions!

​Lisa

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    Auction Wife! MOMMY to 2 Super Cute Kiddos! Antique Lover! Old House Obsessed!

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